About Thomas Kocanda

Thomas is a program coordinator in the Compliance & Ethics department at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. In this role, Thomas focuses on organization-wide oversight and education related to security, privacy, and the organization’s Code of Conduct. Prior to being with BCBSNE, Thomas was an instructor at the University of Nebraska.

Tax season is prime time for online scams. Cybercriminals are looking to cash in by stealing your identity and getting their hands on your tax refund. In 2018, the Internal Revenue Service noted a 60% increase in bogus email schemes that try to steal money and tax data. The IRS sees so many tax scams

For many, the thought of spring means it’s time to start planning some warm weather adventures—and of course, there’s an app for that. But, according to a recent study by Experian, 33% of the 15 million Americans who have been victims of identity theft had their devices hacked while traveling. So, while many elements of

Many people are unaware of how their personal information is collected, used and shared in our always-online digital society. Data Privacy Day, held annually in the U.S. and Europe on Jan. 28, is dedicated to creating awareness about the importance of privacy and protecting your personal information. As part of Data Privacy Day, Blue Cross

By Thomas Kocanda|2019-01-28T11:51:49-05:00January 28th, 2019|Categories: Security|Comments Off on Observe Data Privacy Day 2019

You answer the phone and hear a prerecorded message instead of a live person—that’s a robocall, and depending on the content of the prerecorded message, it could even be illegal. Here’s the key: federal regulations permit robocalls for informational purposes (things like your flight is delayed or school is cancelled), but according to the Federal

Welcome to the last of our six-part series on getting back to the basics of online security and privacy. This story looks at how to own your online presence. Owning your online presence is all about protecting your privacy—from what you post on social media to your internet browsing habits, to the information that organizations

As mentioned in our previous stories about getting back to the basics of online security and privacy, anyone who uses an internet-connected device can make a huge impact on their own cyber security, as well as the security of others. This story looks at ways you can be a good online citizen. Being online today

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska is excited to once again participate in National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM). Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. When everyone does their part, our interconnected world will be safer, more resistant to cyber dangers and more resilient if a cyber incident occurs. Here are some ideas to help you

Growing up, you probably learned some basic, common sense rules to live by--things like: look both ways before crossing the street, don’t touch the hot burner on the stove and never take candy from a stranger. As we continue our series about getting back to the basics of online security and privacy, we’ll discuss how

As mentioned in our previous stories about getting back to the basics of online security and privacy, it’s not all that difficult to stay cyber secure. Here’s how you can do it: Keep a clean machine Protect your personal information Connect with care Be “web wise” Be a good online citizen Own your online presence

We recently introduced our six-part series focused on getting back to the basics of online security and privacy. These six fundamentals reinforce that, even in today’s tech-centric world, the basics of staying cyber secure are not scary. They’re not really all that technical, and anyone who uses an internet-connected device is able to make a